Dear listener,

The headlines of an extraordinary week.

Monday: Banking chaos
Tuesday: Market mayhem
Wednesday: Global gamble
Thursday: Staring into the abyss
Friday: Shares crash

It was also the week that two Icelandic banks collapsed leaving hundreds of thousands of UK customers unsure about when – and for 24 hours, whether – they would get their money back. And a few of them still face big losses.

The week when the chancellor unveiled the details of a £500bn rescue package for UK banks which could lead to them being part-owned by the state.

The week when six central banks on three continents cut interest rates at the same time by half a percentage point.

And the week when a major life insurance company failed in Japan.

Money Box will reflect this chaos.

*** (asterisks take your eye to the items on the programme) What is happening to the billions of pounds individuals have in savings accounts with Icesave, Landsbanki, and Kaupthing? What about their offshore accounts in Guernsey and the Isle of Man?

*** And why did people who moved their money out before the crisis hit find it returned to the failed banks a few days later?

*** Away from cash, what is the tumbling stock market doing to pensions? What should people close to retirement do? And should the rule that forces people to buy an annuity be lifted temporarily?

*** Will the UK banks pass on the half point cut in the bank rate through lower mortgages? Only cosmetically it seems.

*** And what about savings rates – will they stay high?

I am not going to promise anything else. You will have realised we did not broadcast two items in last week’s newsletter due to the world banking crisis. And this agenda so far is more than enough to fill our allotted time.

However, those nice people at BBC Radio 4 have given us an extra hour to fill on Sunday evening. Instead of our usual repeat (and that of our cousin In Business) we will be running a live discussion and phone-in on the theme of How Safe are Our Savings? We want to hear from the experts – you – and there will be top people in the studio too! More details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/7657356.stm and in the note sent to you yesterday.

So there is twice (or in fact three times) the listening pleasure this weekend. And both programmes will be on the web, podcast and transcribed.

You can call on 03700 100 444 from 7pm Sunday or send your questions or comments now via the link on the website.

Best wishes,

Paul

PS Don’t forget the programme taster on BBC Breakfast between quarter to nine and nine o’clock. If you miss it, you can watch it on the web until Wednesday after which it will be replaced with Samantha Washington’s midweek money headlines.

e-mail Paul Lewis